you could buy in terms of aftermarket performance
parts that would deliver these kinds of numbers
either. And if you tried, the cost would be ruinous,
and the result unrideable.
At 2500rpm, the new Rocket 3 is Tyson-punching
200Nm into the road as it hurtles its way to 221Nm
at 4000rpm. And at 4000rpm in top, you’re doing
178km/h and there’s till 3000 to go until redline.
Think about that for a sec. Try and comprehend
that number. And at what revs it is being produced.
Quite suddenly everything feels like it’s breathlessly
panting just trying to keep up. No Harley is even in
the game. Indian cannot compete either. The only
two bikes that kinda feel like they could mount a
challenge are Ducati’s Diavel and Yamaha’s V-MAX.
But even they don’t make those numbers in the
rev-range where it counts – and in the Rocket’s
case, that’s right off idle.
This is grunt like you’ve never imagined it.
Inconceivable grunt that is available everywhere all
the time. And I am not overstating that.
I thought everyone else was overstating it when I
was looking at the on-line stuff from overseas.
Piss off, I thought. How’s anyone even make 221Nm
work on the road? It can’t work. Bloor’s gone mad
and is just chasing numbers to impress girls or
something.
And then I was graced with an invite to the
Australian press launch.
Two days later, I got off the Rocket 3 and I have
spent the time between then and now working out
how I was going to write this review when no-one
actually has any terms of reference.
The Rocket 3 really is something quite unique, as
the press launch revealed.
There was a bunch of Rockets, both the GT
and the R versions, parked outside where the
Australian motorcycle press corps was tucking into
its brunch. I’d inhaled my prosciutto and cheese,
and rushed out to behold the monster I had only
ever seen online.
The bike looks and is quite different to the old
Rocket 3 – which was a gargantuan act of barbaric
motorcycle brutality – like a massive war-hammer.
The new Rocket 3 is a sword. A big-two-
handed one, for sure. But it now slices rather
than bludgeons.
48 KIWI RIDER